January 17, 2013

Consider it pure joy - after Atlanta

It is no small statement to say I do what I love and love what I do - when I ventured into the work world at 18 I had no idea what I was good at, what I liked, nor any desired direction to turn except to the only one that was presented to me - become a secretary. With furrowed eyebrows, and perplexed feelings I thought, "work inside an office all day, type, file?!" For 15 years I worked with a variety of companies and law firms as just that, a secretary, and executive assistant. I didn't know then what was possible. I didn't even know that deep in my soul lay dormant a creative spirit waiting to be acknowledged & awakened. It wasn't until I enjoyed the blessed opportunity to be a stay at home momma, caring for two precious daughters - still toddlers - that I realized I needed to resume full time "work" again. Because of this story (and so much more) being momma, and staying home to nurture these two spirits entrusted to me was thee most important and valuable place I could be. I didn't want to be anywhere else. I couldn't be anywhere else. How could I possibly put their care and daily need in the hands of child care, spend two + hours a day commuting, eight + hours working away from my babies? So many of us do, whether by choice or necessity - I understand. For me and my story tho, this was an excrutiating decision to have to make. So, I began to consider my options . . ."be an artist, design home decor" I thought, surely from far left field, given my inexperience with the industry. Equipped only with my motvation to be home to raise my little girls, a very new awareness of some natural artistic aptitude, and a healthy dose of resourcefulness & determination, I entered into the world of art licensing. Seven years to the date (Jan 2007 when I first launched my scrapbook line) I find myself attending market again, working with and sharing friendship with some of the most creative, artistic minds of our day - each pretty neat people aside from the depth of their talent.

The road along the way here, has risen up several times presenting challenges, but I view these occasions as opportunity to learn - twice blessed - to do what I love and be given valuable oportunity to learn about grace, gratitude, forgiveness, perseverence, intuition, patience, acceptance, belief in one-self, belief in one's dream, hope, loss, faith, and at the end of the day, joy, always joy. I can only hope I have offered this industry some of all that it has offered me and my beloved family. I am privileged and honored to share company with so many fine people - thank you, each of you.

Real, warm, engaging and an amazing selection of the best canvas wall decor - thank you Met Colors.

Give thanks, yes, yes, yes for the opportunity to work with Creative Co-Op. The majority of my home is furnished via Creative Co-Op and I love it. Love what they offer to bring beauty and meaning into our home.

and for my someday beach cottage, I partnered with Evergreen to bring this line to market

Finaly, I want to give a BIG warm heartfelt thank you to Hanne Andersen of Maileg North America for taking the time to contact me and keep my lost badge - with all the biz cards I had collected - safe until could retrieve it. Simple gestures, BIG impact.